SBI Officers’ Association seek MP Ruhullah’s Intervention for Early Five-Day Banking Implementation

Convener News Desk

Srinagar, October 31: A delegation of the State Bank of India Officers’ Association (SBIOA) Jammu Module called on Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday and sought his intervention for the early implementation of a five-day banking week.

The delegation, led by SBIOA Jammu Module President Shah Zaman, urged the MP to take up the issue with the Union Finance Minister and the Department of Financial Services and seek an early decision on the proposal to declare all Saturdays as bank holidays.

The delegation said the proposed five-day week would provide a more sustainable work pattern for bank employees while ensuring uninterrupted banking services. It said weekday working hours could be suitably adjusted to avoid any loss of working hours, while digital banking channels, ATMs and other essential services would continue to remain available.

The delegation also stressed the need for suitable arrangements for elderly, rural and digitally excluded customers, supported by advance public communication and adequate staffing.

According to the delegation, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), representing bank managements, had submitted a proposal on July 12, 2023, to declare all Saturdays as banking holidays. It said the 12th Bipartite Settlement and 9th Joint Note, signed on March 8, 2024, also recorded the IBA recommendation, with consequential changes in working hours subject to government approval and necessary clearances.

The delegation further said that following industrial-relations discussions on September 27, 2026, a high-level committee comprising IBA and bank union representatives was constituted to deliberate on five-day banking. The committee held its first meeting on October 1.

While welcoming the dialogue, the delegation said the constitution of the committee did not amount to a government decision and that no definite implementation date had been communicated so far.

The delegation requested Mehdi to raise the matter with the Union Finance Minister and the Department of Financial Services and take it up in Parliament through a question, Zero Hour submission or Special Mention, seeking the current status of the proposal and a definite timeline for its implementation.